Work continues, with 3 new Yoga classes on my roster, plus private clients and subbing gigs, and I also have a special project I’m in the very early stages of thinking through/planning. I’ll keep you posted on all of that. So today’s post is just a quickie, to let you guys know I recently got my very own Vita-Mix blender, and to share a round-up of recent samples with you.

Faster smoothie-making via my new Vita-Mix blender gets me to this happy moment much faster. That can only be a good thing.

I’ve been wanting a Vita for AGES, and I recently found one at a great price, placed my order, and am now learning all about it. The very first green smoothie I made with it was rockin’! The texture was sooooo much better than what my regular blender was able to produce. And faster, too. What sometimes used to take me a good ten minutes to make on certain mornings now takes more like 3 minutes, tops. Talk about a way to ease the stress of mornings. I like getting up and getting to things, but I’m not always the most organized (or rational!) person in the morning. Ha ha! So just having the Vita cutting my smoothie prep time so dramatically really helps, silly as that might sound.

So my getting a Vita is good news for all of us, because it’s sparked my creativity, and I’ll be creating more recipes with it going forward. Of course, I’ll try to make sure the recipes are workable for non-Vita users as well.

I also got some really great samples that I’ve been making my way through. First up, tea from LeafSpa:

I haven’t yet made my way through all of the samples they sent me, but I can say with certainty that the Decaf Chai was divine. You can tell I’d be all up in the bag, not just from the tear on it, but from the water splash stain:

Loved this decaf chai by Leaf Spa.

Thanks, LeafSpa, for these excellent samples. Take a look at their site; they not only sell amazing teas, but natural spa products that I’m sure are sumptuous as well.

Moving on:

Lately I’ve been using this coconut oil from Tropical Traditions in a lot of my cooking. It has a lovely coconut scent when cooking, but the scent and flavor disappears seamlessly into the final product. I’ll admit, I WAS worried that the gorgeous coconut scent would seep its way into certain recipes and clash with the other flavors. Happily, that didn’t happen at all. Thanks, Tropical Traditions, for the generous, HUGE 32 ounce sample:

Tropical Traditions virgin coconut oil is working out quite well in my recipes.

So that’s it for now. I’ll be back soon with a full report on my Vita. Have a great day, everybody!

Aren’t new toys great? I just bought a Champion juicer (been wanting one for ages) and I’ve heard only good things about the Vita-Mix. But hang on, I keep reading about dehydrators too…
Look forward to your green smoothie recipe!